Once the dress is cleaned, many professional cleaners will return it to you in a presentation box. The box will be acid reduced and dust proof and lined with unbleached cotton. Acid free tissue will be placed around and in the dress so it can breathe. Avoid cleaners using vacuum-sealed or shrink-wrapped storage.
Storage in plastic or untreated cardboard will result in a yellowed dress. Dampness and humidity can cause mildew, which can't be removed. The dress needs to be kept in a dry, cool place out of sunlight ~ ideal conditions are 14 deg C and relative humidity of 50 to 60%.
It can take up to three people to pack a dress into one of these boxes, but it is a nice, compact means of storing the dress; most have a window front for viewing the dress. Some recommend refolding the dress each year to avoid permanent creases and check for problems, but this opens the box's seal so should be discussed with your cleaner.
Alternatively, once the dress had been cleaned, stuff the bodice and sleeves with acid free tissue paper. Wrap the dress in a white sheet and hang in a dry, cool place and check it occasionally. For storage on a hanger, sew extra hanging straps to the waistline to prevent stretching the dress.
Some say it is best to use blue tissue paper for storing your dress; don't do it. Blue tissue paper is not acid free and, if it gets wet, it will leak dye onto the dress. If you have the space and desire, there are also means of protecting dresses kept on manikins or within a large frame. Such processes are ongoing and require expert advice.
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